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Credits:
Narrator/Writer: Stephanie Sammann
Editor: Dylan Hennessy (www.behance.net/dylanhennessy1)
Editor: David O'Sullivan
Illustrator/Animator: Kirtan Patel (kpatart.com/illustrations)
Illustrator: Elfy Chiang (www.elfylandstudios.com)
Animator: Mike Ridolfi (www.moboxgraphics.com/)
Sound: Graham Haerther (haerther.net)
Thumbnail: Simon Buckmaster ( / forgottentowel )
Producer: Brian McManus ( / realengineering )
Imagery courtesy of Getty Images
References:
[1]royalsocietypublishing.org/do...
[2] www.nature.com/articles/s4146...
[3] www.uwa.edu.au/study/-/media/...
[4] link.springer.com/article/10....
[5] pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25477...
[6] onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...
The insane biology series is so much cooler than the insane engineering series
Hey its the guy who made that funny zero video
To be fair, engineering might still have a few years of catching up to do. But seriously, you must be the two best sister channels around!
To be fair nature is usually cooler than anything man made
@@townazier yeah. Nature did have a fresh start of a few billion years. But it's amazing to see what's been done tho. When I look at life, it convinces me that biology is best thought of not as a science, but instead the greatest marvel of engineering ever.
Nature got a headstart, pls nerf
People: how is it possible for a fish to generate so much electricity? The fish: the dark side of the force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be... Unnatural
I hate that one of my favorite fictional joys are constantly dragged through meme territory.
@@jodo7814 but do you hate it more than sand? It's just so rough, and irritating... and it gets everywhere
@@Hawk7886 You seem too old to troll.
@@jodo7814 your mom doesn't think so
@@Hawk7886 Another manchild on the internet. Kinda feel bad for you honestly.
I remember learning about them & asking that question to my teacher about whether or not they shock themselves or have some sort of resistance. The fact that they mostly just tank the shots is pretty incredible.
Tough critters aren't they?
This is one of the best channels on youtube for sure. What an in-depth video on electric eels, it's fascinating what complex creatures they are. I mean remotely controlling their prey is just next level stuff. imagine what else is out there
producing television series for the other fish to be thoroughly entertained by
Definitely the best, I love learning real science
How tf do you not have a name
I was lucky enough to teach in Ecuador for a time. I traveled to the Yasuní reserve in the Amazon, and we went fishing with the waorani. They caught an eel and we were amazed by it. A couple hours after fishing it, these two mischievous kids poked a machete in the eel's gills and asked me to touch the machete. eel was laying still in the ground after some time, so i felt confident: boy did that thing struck me. i felt it so strong my whole arm went to sleep for a couple of hours. 😂 these two kids could not stop laughing for a couple of days
Awesome trip, darn kids
Should have thrown it at them
Just a tip, the Waorani should be capitalized because it's a name!
@@nico3727The eel?
@@ellie8272*the machete*
"860 volts" Ah that's a lot yeah "At one amp" HOLY JESUS
860W Eel powered gaming PC
Yeah, but it lasts only lasts for milliseconds, still impressive though
That's a power of 860 fricking watts
I absolutely adore this series of insane biology, The long videos and high quality content, Keep it coming!
Yep, it’s all gold, and Steph’s a legend.
Learning SO much about animals which I'd found fascinating as a child, but couldn't find much accessible info about at that point (pre-internet!)
Wow, I never knew that Voltaic cell was inspired by electric eels! Fascinated to learn that.
I always love the stories of technology being inspired by nature.
Not voltaic
Battery was before volta, not he the first to discover it.
I actually had a professor back in college that had travelled down to the Amazon to study these creatures.
that's awesome ! did he brought some pictures back ?
@@scooterelway9191 He sure did & they were pretty cool!
@@patrickblanchette4337 how big were they, on average? At least, according to your professor
@@AifDaimon From what I can remember (it’s been 4-5 years since I took the class) they could very in size from about the size of your hand to the size of your arm.
@@patrickblanchette4337 size of my arm!? SHEESH!!! That's quite huge
Every time I learn about stuff like this I'm so stunned (get it?) with how diverse life on earth is, how complicated it evolved to be. It feels like we live alongside aliens.
Never ceases to amaze me
I think that real aliens would feel similar to sea creatures to us. Sea life come from a completely different environment to us, just like aliens would
@@sapphire4310 I don't believe in aliens but i can see this being the case. The bible leaves room for them but I can definitely understand how strange our world would be to a species like that.
@@sapphire4310 Yes... assuming that any aliens wouldn't just have the same kind of environment we do. Honestly if there is life out there I'm betting they probably wouldn't be as different from life on our planet as we might think. Who knows though... nature is hugely unpredictable.
Well, we _are_ aliens to all life in the universe outside of earth.. And let's be honest it's most likely life out there in some form or another. Just imagine how foreign they would be to us! Its hard to even imagine something truly alien!
Here's a fun list of REAL elemental animals: Electric: Electric Eel Oriental Hornet (It's stripes are Solar panels that generate electricity) Ballooning Spiders (use their threads to fly on electric currents in the air) Echidna (sense not emit. This is Knuckles' Emerald radar in Sonic Adventure 2) Electric Stingray Electric Catfish Sharks (Sense not emit, Ampullae of Lorenzini pores around snout.) Plant Pollen (Has static charge, that's how it sticks to Bees) Fire: Black Kite (carry burning twigs around to spread fire) Whistling Kite (carry burning twigs around to spread fire) Brown Falcon (carry burning twigs around to spread fire) Heat: Bombadier Beetle (shoots boiling acid) Japanese Honeybee (swarms enemy and generates body heat to cook) Pistol Shrimp (can do real Kamehameha/Hadoken) Mantis Shrimp (can do real Kamehameha/Hadoken) Water: Archerfish (Spit water at prey outside the water, can compensate aim for light bent by water surface) Walrus (Gush water at the seafloor to hunt) Whales Dolphins Octopus/Squid Ice: Pseudomonas Syringae (Creates ice, can freeze water above 0C) Metal: Scaly-foot Snail (Iron shell) Eucalyptus trees (absorb Gold into their cellular structure) Various plants (absorb metals into their cellular structure) Light: Fireflies Angler Fish Flashlight Fish Bioluminescent Plants Bioluminescent Fungi Bioluminescent Bacteria/microbes Octopus/Squid (Some use their chameleon skin to make light) Tons of deep ocean creatures communicate by producing light Dark or Ghost: Assassin bugs (wear corpses as disguises) Cordycep (parasitic Zombie fungus) Parasitic Worm (snail eyestalk zombie infection) Toxoplasma Gondii (reduces host's fear of danger/risks) Poison: Maned Rat/African Crested Rat (Lophiomys imhausi) (Rubs poison from plants into specialized stripes of hairs) Hooded Pitohui Ifrita Rufous Shriketrush African Spur Winged Goose European Quail Hoopoes Ruffed Grouse Bronzewing Pidgeon Red Warbler Various Reptiles Various Amphibians Various Fish, and Aquatic Animals Various Arthropods (Insects, Arachnids, Crustaceans) Various Plants Various Fungi
Marvel : Write that down!! write that dowwnnn!!!
Instead of Kamehameha/Hadouken for the pistol shrimp and mantis shrimp, it should've been Detroit Smash
Electricity, platypus, sense not emit
Very informative, thanks
so this is real life Pokémon
It's shocking, how your videos are so consistently amazing! I would say this is the best series of videos, I know of on youtube. There's the whole rest of the channel however, that's just as good.
Shocking. Pun unintended?
@@terimaakigaand5857 Would you hold it against me?
You should try listening/watching the 'Fall of Civilisations' channel then.
Boo, booooooo.
I love them
Egyptians had electric eels as well, they have their graven images on their walls.
Those are a separate but similar group of fish: electric catfish. The history is very interesting, though; you’re correct that they appear in murals, and there’s evidence that the Egyptians used their shocks to treat chronic pain.
No more solar panels for me, I'm going 100% eel.
Actually those are electric catfish. They can produce a large electric shock as well, not quite as big as the electric eels though
@@Nmwhat arent they in the same category or very related to eachother(catfish in general)
@@hairlesschimp7091 Not very related, just related. Electric eels belong to the order South American knifefishes. South American knifefishes are not catfishes, but are the next relatives to catfishes. Electric eels and catfishes' common ancestor lived about 140 million years ago, that's about as related as we are to marsupials.
Omg that little comment at the end about Texas' electric grid had me gagged lol (I live in Texas and experienced the utter failures of the February 2021 winter storm). I love these videos so much and even just a passing mention of the electricity crisis here by anyone is something that makes me very happy to hear. Keep up the awesome videos, they are very much loved and appreciated!
same hahah
But the Ford f150 hybrid pickup. When the power was out idling the pickup and plugged in to my breaker box I powered my hvac system. It creates peace of mind.
Isn’t it actually happening again right now?
When I was young, I remember, I always wanted to know how they generate electricity. And no one could tell me, or knew how. Until now. Mother nature is so interesting and amazing! Wow
As kids, we were so afraid of the poraquê (eletric eel) we thought that even casting our shadow on the fish could shock us. I was really scary
Every single time theres a new upload to this series I get soo excited! The narrating, visuals, information, etc.. all top notch. 10/10👏🏽
It's interesting how electric eels actually work together to get food. It's an excellent strategy that they've come up with.
11:58 eel: 'hah, I stun my prey remotely with electric bolts. resistance to superior technology is futile.' fish: 'we see you and retreat to our safe room - the air!' eel: 'ever heard of teamwork?'
Genuine question: During the experiment with the dead fish, how did the eel knew the fish responded to its doublet when there was an agar barrier between them placed there to particularly impede the electric shock. You mentioned the eel's eyesight is poor and they rely heavily on their electrolocation of prey. Answers are appreciated. Thanks!
electric field probably since it will pass through the agar barrier
It might have been purely tactile. Agar isn't solid, it's just congealed fat. So there was water or fat in a continuous surround of both the dead fish and the eel, to carry the vibration of motion. All marine life feels vibrations very actutely.
@@donnalombardo4368 Not to be That Guy because I agree with the overall conclusion you have, but agar isn't fat. It's mostly polysaccharides and pectins derived from certain types of algae, specifically red algae, which is actually very low in fat.
Maybe the respond came back throght the same wire it was sent?!
@@captain_buggles You can be that guy, but that also means the stuff we grew bacteria in, in high school science, wasn't agar, because we made it, on a hot plate, from chicken and gelatin.
*This needs to be added to minecraft*
She mentioned in the video 'electric eels do get electric shocks by other eels it's like doing their business and because of their large size they can withstand shocks they produce'. Now the question is how they can withstand such 8600 volts of electricity when all eels all together produces it for mas hunting. We humans can too withstand one eels' electric shock but cannot 10 eels.
eel just have to see... no extra charge
I don't think the strength of the electricity would compound. I am not sure though.
Imagine a Tesla with a fish tank full of eels. Climate change solved.
@@Kiyoone crazy because this is what I actually think the ancient Egyptians used as a power source
@@KarmaProsperity8egypt is in North África, electric eels come from South America... so.
Really amazing video. Electric eels have been one of the most interesting fish i've ever known. The novelty of using electricity of all things to hunt and survive is endlessly fascinating. I hadn't known that they use electrics to see their environment. It seems like electricity is just as much their whole world as electricity is to we humans in the modern day.
Very elegant, concise and yet very complete! Please keep up the great work!
Such depth and intricacies when it comes to the discussions Kudos to this I'm learning and I'm loving it 😍
860 volts at 1 amp? i have no idea they're *that* powerful
These things are freaky, but it’s important to realize how cool these things are. Keep up the wonderful work, your my favorite channel on the platform.
They aren't things, all human and non-human animals are someone, we all have a subjective experience in this world. This is why people don't have respect or value the lives of non-human animals, we see them as things...my dog is a someone not a thing, just like the cow or pig in the slaughter house is a someone.(who doesn't want to die)
this series is srsly one of the best ones in youtube. i cant believe this is free 😭 thank you for the video!
the research pulled into doing these videos is insane thankyou
this is incredible content and so well/organized. Thank you for sharing !
I had an adult for years, and was zapped a few times. I donated it and it's aquarium to my local university.
It's been a pretty long while since I've been legitimately interested by something or felt curious. Thank you for this well made video! I don't know if it was the combination of the music/presentation or just the biology on its own, but I definitely found it interesting.
As always. Top tier quality. Thank you for your awesome work.
I just found this channel - your simplicity of speech keeps making me think you're going to start saying some random garbage like a lot of other ""science"" channels, but really, you're just good at effectively communicating actual science in simple terms. Quite a nice channel, i'm adding it to the repertoire of science channels i'm subbed to :)
I use to make many trips to the burien pet center in my home state as a kid. They had an electric eel on display there but it wasn't for sale. I was very fascinated by it and would observe it for long periods of time. They seem like they'd make dangerous pets though
I’ve asked myself this question so thank you guys for making the video… now I know!
I love science and excellence: you bring both. Congrats. I just found you and subscribed. Keep it up!
Couldn't get enough of this series
A seemingly remarkable creature that's even more remarkable than you first thought !👍
Outstanding as always! What software do you use when creating digital graphic scenes?
Great quality information as always from this channel
Love the reference number footnotes in the bottom left corner!!
Another great content! Here patiently waiting for your Insane Biology of: Tardigrades episode!
You are one of my favorite narrator's and your research is fantastic thanks for your contribution of so many animals.....
Found this channel through German biologist Robert Marc Lehmann and I've been hooked since. The content you guys make is so so enjoyable and informative to watch. The facts, thesis' etc. astonishing
So the preliminary doublet shocks is kinda like how a Venus Fly Trap's hairs work. They make sure that there's prey in proximity to activate their (what I'm assuming is) energy intensive capture action.
I am learning so much.This channel is great.Thank you so much for yor work.
Great video, I like the cameo from the Protopterus sp. in the beginning
Great post my friend. I recall the electric eel being featured in one of the Spider-Man movies. Wicked stuff !! 😁
I hope you will follow up with a video on all the other pack-hunting fish, which I think includes that other scary Amazon denizen, the piranha.
I would totally like to see that as well, did not know there were only 9 species, I always thought it was much more.
Didja know piranhas are edible? Only for the brave, Chile.
there’s another electric fish but it’s also a pack-hunting fish, the cornish jack!
This is amazing, thanks a lot for all this info!
SO AMAZING!! Thanks for sharing.
Love this series....can you do the insane biology of the giant centipede please
can someone explain why old documents/letters always use "f" looking letter for s
Amazing! I send links to these out to friends who I think might be interested and they love them as much as I do.
Really appreciate the measurements in the metric system as well as the imperial system
Amazing how much of our modern technology was inspired by nature. I hope we continue to learn from the natural world, to harness it for the good of the people but also become more in harmony with it. The scale is tipped too far to one side presently.
Arguably every human invention is inspired by nature as that is all we know
This was awesome. You should do one I on African Electric Catfish. They are fairly common in the tropical fish trade. I had one for a while. They have the same fat sausage like appearance but only reach about 3 feet
When I was younger I had the fortune to meet one of these guys with my cousins and my uncle, he tried to touch it and got shocked, it was pretty impressive and scary
Oh my God the sinusoidal body posture blew me away!! That is so cool that they even have a cool attack animation and that its a physical representation of a wave function that directly results from electricity being produced. In my next life I want to be an electric eel. Time to squad up and do damage.
every time i watch one of your videos i’m completely reintroduced to animals i thought i knew. what you’re doing on youtube is so cool and so needed.
The electric eel is so "shocking"
Loving your channel, thank you very much 🙂
wonderfully interesting and well presented - thank you
What is the range of a shock by one of these eels?
Your videos are the best
Always been fascinated by electric eels. Electriciy is so cool
Great video. Great job. Detailed explanation and thorough.
I am completely shocked by the electrifying science being these truly fascinating creates! All puns intended.
Please post more of this Insane Biology series! It is soooo good!
So incredibly informative! I had absolutely NO idea about electric eels a) not being eels, b) being able to trigger self-discovery in their prey, or most freakily, c) being pack hunters like orca?? 👀
Best video yet. Music was awesome too.
Love this channel so much!!
This is one of the most FASCINATING creatures that you have ever featured. It is hard to understand how any animal can produce electric current, but when you explain it, there it is! They say when properly grounded a Human can die from between 75-120 volts RMS. We need a new science fiction film about these guys, but of course, they would be 200 feet long, and four feet wide! I picture the first scene as it zaps a nuclear submarine. LOL! Come on Mr. Bruckheimer! 🖤
As demonstrated, they can fry a good size crocodile.
It is so cool how animals like this exist, I forget these things exist sometimes and I just think wow, super powers COULD exist lol
i really want to know how these essays are produced. i know it’s not just a recital of a wiki page… who is doing the research and then writing the copy? IOW, how original is the content? i love these presentations, regardless, but i want to know…. the host has a great delivery!! yay real science!
Check the description , they credit editor , narrator , produce , and reference their sources :)
Awesome video I enjoy this so much … nature is amazing !
Ok but how does this 800v surge thru its body without harming it in the first place?
I had design clothes with electro shocks similar to the eels. The inside is electricity proof and the outside can free discharge electric if I were to be grabs hold by someone. Pressure sensor release release electric. Also I design to collect solar energy so when you walk outdoors it use the sun to collect energy. So far only for personal use.
What a great video, I learned so much. Thank you.
This is such a cool video!! :D Maybe you can do a video on olms? They’re a tiny species of salamander that can go for 10 years without food and live for 100 years!
new insane biology dropped LETS GOOOOO 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Imagine if aliens developed highly sophisticated electrical conducting organs in their grappling appendage that allow them to use insane technology that they power like an extention of their body
I love these videos so much. Thanks!
These eels could have some form electrical communication that allows them to coordinate their attacks. Maybe they take turns when they do the pack hunting so they don't get shocked to badly.
Would I gain electric powers if I were to fall into a pool of electric eels?
No, you would just die.
According to the great scientific Dokumentary "The Amazing Spiderman" this is very likely to happen.
@@maxchilla732 ah, joking. Sorry, I didn’t notice at first.
You'd need to be black and a dork though
There is only one way of finding out.
Crazy that we can thank a fish for being able to even watch this video and use the internet. Amazing content!!
bro this series is so interesting to watch while doing something
If I die and come back, I want to be an electric eel
As a neuroscientist, I find this particularly fascinating!
Ur cat is beautiful 😍
Thanks my grandma didn't stand a chance
Great video and production
Electric Eels are awesome. I'd love to possess electrokinesis powers.
boom
Wondering how many eels died during the evolution of electric eel, until the specie mastered how generate electricity and control the process. I trust evolution!!! 🥴
EVOLUTION designed this?? A basic summary of what that means... In the beginning was nothing but then it somehow became as big as the universe. Then there was dirt and water but then somehow it became alive. Then there was an organism but somehow it had the structure and information to reproduce. Then one decided to be a male and somehow another organism became female and somehow at the same time, with fully functioning structure and information, they reproduced. Then they grew branches, then arms, then fins, then legs, then wings, and breathed water and then air and now we see them all perfectly mutated to flourish in their ecosystems! Seriously... Have you considered how a butterfly came to be? What came first, the egg? caterpillar? chrysalis? butterfly? What mutation could cause a crawling creature to suddenly hang upside down, dissolve its organs and appendages and 2 weeks later emerge as a flying creature? And then find another butterfly to reproduce? Truly a fairy tale! It is glaringly obvious we are part of creation. The world around us is so incredibly complex that design is the obvious, logical and scientific conclusion. Jesus was a real historical figure who claimed to be God. He also confirmed that he created the world and was coming back a second time to reward and judge the world. He proved this by rising from the dead and fulfilling many prophecies. He also foretold what would happen before he would come again. These things have been coming to pass more and more. He loves his creation and has a purpose for everyone of us! But the evil we see in the world is not from God. We have a cruel enemy of everything good and right and you can see the devil's handiwork more and more. Please look into this urgently and with honesty. God is not a policeman in the sky, he is not a genie that grants wishes, he is loving and merciful and rewards those who seek him. Do not decide who God is by looking at religious people, you must decide who God is by reading what he says about himself in the bible. Then you would have judged fairly. Start with John or Luke. These are eyewitness accounts of what Jesus said and did. There are many resources to answer your many questions. Especially on creation and evolution www.creation.com Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near (Isaiah 55) For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:20) To realise that your life is precious, you are loved, and you have a purpose, is real freedom and responsibility. There is an epic heavenly battle for your soul! You're never alone, reach out from wherever you are, Jesus is there, trust Him.
@@BlessingsMate Hello Dear Bless ya.. If you read my comment again, you will notice that I am a creationist who believes in God! I am actually making fun and laughing deeply at evolution, because of the impossibility of evolving such a complex creation as the electric eel… there has to be a God who is a mastermind biochemical electric engineer with top of the shelf software writing skills, with a few PhDs in hardware design.. hope you get my message.. Glory to Jesus Christ, Glory to Him Forever!
Oops! Sorry, I should've taken more notice of the emoji too 🙃👍. Blessings
around 10/2019 a peer reviewed paper was published establishing that the electric eels are not related to the knife fish or any fish. A stand alone species may be regarded as "ABIOGENESIS".
I absolutely love these insane biology videos!
I need an Electric Eel phone so my battery will never go flat
I really wonder what would happen if we colonized a sterile planet with only these eels (and whatever is needed to support them) and waited a few tens of millions of years
Evolution fairy tale mate. According to the evolution theory, anything is possible lol! A basic summary of what that means... In the beginning was nothing but then it somehow became as big as the universe. Then there was dirt and water but then somehow it became alive. Then there was an organism but somehow it had the structure and information to reproduce. Then one decided to be a male and somehow another organism became female and somehow at the same time, with fully functioning structure and information, they reproduced. Then they grew branches, then arms, then fins, then legs, then wings, and breathed water and then air and now we see them all perfectly mutated to flourish in their ecosystems! Seriously... Have you considered how a butterfly came to be? What came first, the egg? caterpillar? chrysalis? butterfly? What mutation could cause a crawling creature to suddenly hang upside down, dissolve its organs and appendages and 2 weeks later emerge as a flying creature? And then find another butterfly to reproduce? Truly a fairy tale! It is glaringly obvious we are part of creation. The world around us is so incredibly complex that design is the obvious, logical and scientific conclusion. Jesus was a real historical figure who claimed to be God. He also confirmed that he created the world and was coming back a second time to reward and judge the world. He proved this by rising from the dead and fulfilling many prophecies. He also foretold what would happen before he would come again. These things have been coming to pass more and more. He loves his creation and has a purpose for everyone of us! But the evil we see in the world is not from God. We have a cruel enemy of everything good and right and you can see the devil's handiwork more and more. Please look into this urgently and with honesty. God is not a policeman in the sky, he is not a genie that grants wishes, he is loving and merciful and rewards those who seek him. Do not decide who God is by looking at religious people, you must decide who God is by reading what he says about himself in the bible. Then you would have judged fairly. Start with John or Luke. These are eyewitness accounts of what Jesus said and did. There are many resources to answer your many questions. Especially on creation and evolution www.creation.com Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near (Isaiah 55) For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:20) To realise that your life is precious, you are loved, and you have a purpose, is real freedom and responsibility. There is an epic heavenly battle for your soul! You're never alone, reach out from wherever you are, Jesus is there, trust Him.
The narration @ 14:00 "they estimate that 10 Volta's electric eels working together could create 8600 volts" is incorrect. The voltage would never be higher that the eel with the highest voltage rating. Whomever wrote that doesn't understand electric circuits. The circuit the eels would make is called a parallel circuit. NOT a series circuit.
The Baghdad Battery is believed to date back 2,000 years and consists of three artifacts: a ceramic pot, a tube of copper, and an iron rod. It was discovered in present-day Khujut Rabu, Iraq in 1936 by a German archaeologist.